Hijacked vehicles, such as trucks, are a potentially significant threat to public safety. The potential damage from an explosive or fuel laden truck or other vehicle is great.
A loaded truck is very difficult to stop through external means such as barriers, spikes and patrol cars. Trucks may be damaged through the use of these means but because of momentum may be able to continue on route for a significant distance. Pursuing police officers put themselves in great danger to attempt to shoot either the tires or the driver of a speeding truck. Shooting the hijacker driver, when possible, can result in great danger to the public. Shooting the tires, when possible, is generally not effective because trucks can continue for long distances with a few punctured tires. Either measure typically causes the vehicle to loose control, which may cause the vehicle to detonate in an undesirable location resulting in significant loss of property and life. Law enforcement agencies do not have a workable and safe solution to halt hijacked trucks or other vehicles that can be carried out with the tools and training the agencies have at hand.